`Her present life appeared like the dream of a distempered imagination, or like one of those frightful fictions, in which the wild genius of the poets sometimes delighted. Rreflections brought only regret, and anticipation terror.' Such is the state of mind in which Emily St. Aubuert - the orphaned heroine of Ann Radcliffe's 1794 gothic Classic, The Mysteries of Udolpho - finds herself after Count Montoni, her evil guardian, imprisions her in his gloomy medieval fortress in the Appenines. Terror is the order of the day inside the walls of Udolpho, as Emily struggles against Montoni's rapacious schemes and the threat of her own psychological disintegration. A best-seller in its day and a potent influence on Walpole, Poe, and other writers of eighteenth and nineteenth-century Gothic horror, The Mysteries of Udolpho remains one of the most important works in the history of European fiction. As the same time, with its dream-like plot and hallucinatory rendering of its characters' psychological states, it often seems strangely modern: `permanently avant-garde' in Terry Castle's words, and a profound and fascinating challenge to contemporary readers.
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About the Author
Terry Castle is Professor of English at Stanford University.
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First Sentence
ON the pleasant banks of the Garonne, in the province of Gascony, stood, in the year 1584, the chateau of Monsieur St. Aubert. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
ON the pleasant banks of the Garonne, in the province of Gascony, stood, in the year 1584, the chateau of Monsieur St. Aubert. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
If you like your villains dastardly, your heroines swooning, and your castles brooding, this is the book for you! Our heroine is Emily St Aubert, whom we follow through family tragedy, romance, and exploitation. Murder, war, brigandry, and coincidence are thrown in for good measure. Some readers may dislike Emily's character - she weeps and swoons a great deal, and is largely passive in the face of malevolence.
Those who like their stories 'lean and mean' will find this a lot to digest at almost seven hundred pages, and the pace is often ponderous, with the early parts of the book largely a travelogue through 16th century France and Italy. Here there is a lot of repetition about the sublimity and awfulness (as in inspiring awe) of nature. The poems, which are liberally sprinkled throughout the book, are best skipped.
But despite these criticisms, this is a hugely entertaining book. Radcliffe's descriptions provide wonderful atmosphere, producing an almost dreamlike feel whether in a gloomy castle or on a summer walk. The characters are strongly defined, and their emotions palpable.
Highly recommended.
31 of 34 people found the following review helpful
By Elizabeth
Format:Paperback
I came to this book after reading about it in Jane Austen's 'Northanger Abbey', which I suspect is why many enquirers are now reading this! I really enjoyed it and, although some of the other reviewers' negative comments are at least partly justified, I'd say, if you're not afraid of long novels, give it a go, it's just good fun.
By 21st century standards of horror, this story is tame and childish, but if you're like me and don't appreciate the excesses of modern horror and supernatural/occult things, but just enjoy a good read, you'll find this more to your taste. Yeah, sure there are some unbelievable parts, (like Emily's being able to compose whole sonnets on the spot, for one), but fiction like this is not really meant to be convincing. Mrs Radcliffe wrote to entertain the masses, and that's what she achieves. Yes, the desciptions can be a bit tedious at times, but if you read quickly as most of us do when we're 'in to' a novel, they soon pass and you get on with the story.
I esp. liked the fact that all the mysteries are explained in the end which saves you from having to go through the dissatisfying experience of wanting to know exactly what happened back there when 'x' did 'y' and so on, but never being told. (I sometimes wonder if some authors couldn't think of anything convincing with which to tie up their loose ends!!)
Have fun!=)
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Characters,particularly female ones, tend to be rather flat and anaemic. Radcliffe concentrates on powerful male figures, the dark menace of Montoni or the benevolent paternity of St. Aubert and the Count de Villefois. Descriptions of France and Italy are painterly and will have you rushing to book a flight to the Languedoc or somewhere near the Appenines. It could be said, perhaps, that the landscapes are the real protagonists in the tale. Radcliffe skilfully ties up all the lose threads but the explanations given of supernatural events are highly improbable. Pivotal theme of the work could be said to be 'Fortitude' and how Emily, the heroine,finds and develops this quality in herself. Worth reading,not only because it is regarded as the seminal gothic novel, but because it was instrumental in raising the status of novel writing in the eyes of the literary establishment. This enabled female novel writers to gain credibility and acceptance whereas until this point,poetry writing,predominantly the province of men,was seen as weightier and cerebral in comparison to the trifling shallowness of novels.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Mysteries Of Udolpho - A Review by Barry Van - Asten
The Mysteries of Udolpho, published in 1794 by Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823) is a classic Gothic romance incorporating moments of real terror. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Mr. B. P. Van-asten
1.0 out of 5 stars
arrived way past xmas
Although ordered and paid for in full. This book arrived yesterday with a posting date of 6 Jan. It was a Christmas present. Read more
Published 16 months ago by les
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful in its own way
This gothic romance novel is beautifully written. It is very slow by modern standards and a bit dull at first, but it must be understood in its own terms, with long evocative... Read more
Published 17 months ago by John Hopper
5.0 out of 5 stars
One to put on your reading list
I read this book at degree level for a module on the gothic romances and even that couldn't ruin it for me. Read more
Published 19 months ago by V. G. Harwood
5.0 out of 5 stars
Its A Classic
I bought this book through reading about it in Northanger Abby by Jane Austen. For years it just stayed on my shelf as i had other books to read and everytime i tried to get in to... Read more
Published 22 months ago by johnny m
4.0 out of 5 stars
A207
haven't got very far with this as the print is very small and quite frankly a bit of a chore to read in low light... and that's with my new glasses!
Published on 14 May 2011 by S. Ainsworth
4.0 out of 5 stars
Traditional 'Gothic Romance'.
I read this for a gothic fiction project I was writing at university and overall I enjoyed it. It is a long book and it can be slow at times, but it's definately worth the effort... Read more
Published on 1 Jun 2010 by princesspeach
4.0 out of 5 stars
Like a long and complex dream
After having read the mere 176-page original gothic tale of 1764, Horace Walpole's "The Castle of Otranto", I embarked on this 672-page equally-famous gothic fantasy by Ann... Read more
Published on 6 Feb 2008 by Nicholas Casley
2.0 out of 5 stars
If only there was more Udolpho...
If I'm honest, I found this book to be a major disappointment - almost more so because it could easily have been so much better. Read more
Published on 8 Aug 2007 by RageofKlugman
2.0 out of 5 stars
Over-rated and over-written
Having read Lewis' "The Monk", Shelley's "Frankenstein" and Radcliffe's own "A Sicilian Romance" I was really looking forward to a gigantic, 700-page, overblown Gothic novel. Read more
Published on 23 Mar 2004 by "lionellaurent"
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